120 Hour 5 Day Plan

For many decades the professionals urged us to prepare a 72-hour emergency kit in a backpack, for each member of our household. 

Five years ago, when the Salt Lake City S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods catastrophic disaster program was expanded to include all of Salt Lake County, we began educating everyone to refresh, update and expand their 72-hour kits into a supply of essentials that would serve each family member for 96-hours – that’s 4 days and 4 nights. 

Things That I Learned from Hurricane Sandy -- A Heads Up For All of Us!

by Frantz Ostmann on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 7:13am 

1. The excitement and coolness wear off around day 3.
2. You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc. Never!
3. Yes it can happen to you.
4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean its producing electricity.
5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.  A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage.
6. You should have as much fuel as water:   a. Propane,     b. Gas,      c. Kerosene,      d. Firewood,      e. Firestarter, (kindling, paper, etc.)
7. Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up. (spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc.)

Added Observations Regarding Hurricane Sandy

by Amie Ostmann

1. Store a lot of ‘mix-ins’ to help flavor your stored water.  
2. Being without running water was more inconvenient than having no power.  
3. Before-hand we stored milk jugs filled with water, ¾ full, and put in the freezer.  When we had no power, we put the jugs, a couple at a time, into the fridge to keep food cold.  When they melted, we used for drinking.  
4. I wished I had more candles.
5. 10-hour candles were awesome.  
6. Candles give a broader light than a flashlight.  
7. We had one lantern; it was better than the candles.  I wished for more.

12 Points of Business Continuity Planning

The Utah Department of Emergency Management (DEM) has many tools for businesses.  While most large corporations have emergency prepare and resilience departments with plans in place, many small businesses are not sufficiently prepared to respond to disaster and get back to business in the short term.  Unprepared companies may never open their doors again.

The DEM has education and training resources to create or support business preparation, response and recovery plans.  Resiliency is the key point.  The list below outlines topics covered in their free Business Preparedness Series.  Contact them at BeReadyUtah.gov.  Don’t put it off.

YOU are the HELP

Who will Help?

In a major disaster YOU (and I) are the HELP ‘til aid arrives …and that could take at least 96 hours.

Are you prepared to meet your essential needs for 4 days and 4 nights?

That would include: Toileting; 4 gallons of safe drinking water per person; first aid; your essential meds; food; hygiene supplies comfort items.  Does your kit include cash (small bills); house and auto keys; copies of your Identification; a contact list; and your important papers?

Seniors, You Need to Prepare

It is common sense – in a major disaster everyone will be impacted.  Young and old alike will suffer from: no electricity, no working toilets, scarcity of safe drinking water, food, medications and other essential supplies.  Damaged buildings and roads will affect us one and all.

There is no age we reach when we can say “I don’t have to prepare any more, the younger ones will take care of me.”  Or, “I’m too old to do the work or spend money to be prepared.”  Or, “I prepared years ago and nothing happened.”

Emergency professionals have a saying: “you are either part of the solution because you are prepared, or, unprepared, you quickly become part of the problem.”

Seniors: Don’t be Left Behind When Disaster Strikes

Disasters impact aging adults.  But there are things you can do NOW, to reduce your risk of being left behind when everyone is evacuating:

1. Consider joining a group of like-minded people and become a valuable member.  Going it alone is not a safe or practical disaster preparedness or response strategy.  That is true for people of any age, but especially for seniors.

2. Has your community identified gathering places?  If your home is no longer safe after a catastrophic disaster or you want to be with others, a gathering place is your best refuge destination.  If you don’t know of such a location, contact your city’s emergency manager and find out if there are gathering places that have been designated.  If you live in Salt Lake County, UT, you have the S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods program with its pre-selected gathering hubs.

Financial Preparedness for Businesses

Warm relationships are fundamental in day-to-day business -- In disaster, they are vital.  Nowhere do relationships count more than between business owners and their bankers. 

It is not enough to have a business checking, reserve account and even a loan, if you are merely an account number to your banker.

96-Hour Emergency Kit

NOTE:  I recommend carts/wagons/dollies, not back-packs, to transport a 96-hour kit on foot.  But DO pack supplies in back packs/bags instead of putting items loose in cart/wagon.

Water:  1 gallon/person/day for 4 days weighs over 33 lbs.

Sanitation: Toileting supplies for the individual and family. Vital for family and public health.

Food:  Snacks are easiest, but think how comforting a warm meal of some kind would be.

Mess Gear: Necessary if planning on meals, even as basic as cereal.  Not needed for snacks.

Insurance for Business Resiliency

Insurance premiums present challenging decisions for business. There are so many certain, reoccurring expenses that press the bottom line, making it very difficult -- especially for smaller businesses -- to spend for “maybes.”

We are accustomed to paying auto premiums as the most practical way to provide required financial responsibility, in order to operate a motor vehicle.

Employee Training

Trained employees can be the difference between life and death in a disaster – particularly one of catastrophic magnitude.

In such an event, first responders – police, fire fighters and EMTs – are not available to residences or individual businesses.  Their priorities are pre-determined to help hospitals, infrastructure, care facilities and the like.  We are on own until additional help arrives – most of the time from out-of-state.

Workplace Emergency Supplies Cache

It is not unlikely that a major disaster, strong enough to interrupt infrastructure – including our roadways -- could strike during the workday, requiring that you and your employees, shelter-in-place for a period of time. 

What can you do now to prepare for that eventuality?  Approach your planning from the viewpoint that all utilities will be 100% unavailable. 

How to Stop a Bleeding Wound, Even in the Middle of Nowhere

02/26/2019 / By Mary Miller

Imagine being in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps you were hiking in the woods, or you might be alone in your remote homestead, far away from civilization. Imagine that for some reason or another, you are injured and your wound won’t stop bleeding. What are you going to do now? Learn how to stop a bleeding wound when SHTF by following this simple first aid guide.

Seniors and Disasters

While disasters take a toll on everyone, no group is more impacted than aging adults - seniors - especially those of us who also have physical limitations and mobility issues.

Though our nation regularly experiences major disasters, it was the devastating hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Sandy that made it crystal clear – seniors suffer the most fatalities, severe injuries and are the most likely to be left behind.

Earthquake Preparedness from the Experts

Earthquake Preparedness.  The paragraphs below are from a series of tweets posted on 02/23/19 by the Utah Dept of Emergency Management @UtahEmergency

The damage a building receives during an earthquake depends on a number of factors below that are in ALL CAPS:

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION -- Wood-framed homes generally fare better than masonry, especially if masonry isn't reinforced. Most modern buildings, built after 1975, should be survivable, which means that they will stand up long enough for people to survive and evacuate.

Emergency?

Is there an emergency and you need to call 9-1-1? Here is some very important information that
you need to be aware of before you make the call. Dispatch centers face several challenges due
to the increasing use of cell phones and landline billing addresses:

1.   When calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone, your approximate GPS address is sent to the dispatch center. Depending on the age of the phone, it is accurate to within a few meters to many meters. This is helpful if you're standing by yourself in the middle of an empty football field but isn't quite as useful if you're calling from your apartment. In the second case, it leaves the emergency responders having to knock on the doors of all of your neighbors to try to find you. Be prepared to give your address, possibly more than once, to pinpoint your location.

Two earthquakes strike near Bluffdale Utah

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2019

One was a magnitude 3.2 and the other was magnitude 3.7 

Many Utahns in the southern part of the Salt Lake Valley and northern part of Utah County felt two earthquakes that happened around 5 a.m. today, February 15, 2019. This is one of our regular reminders that Utah is earthquake country. We typically have around eight earthquakes a year that are magnitude 3. We don’t expect that these earthquakes caused much, if any, damage.

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations, in a news release, says 

This morning’s earthquake was reported felt by more than 7,000 residents of the Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley.  The foreshock was also reported felt.  Since 1962, five earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have occurred within 16 miles of the epicenter of today’s event.  The largest of these events was a magnitude 4.1 on March 16, 1992, located six miles west-southwest of Bluffdale, UT.

Published by:  Dpsnews.utah.gov

Drop, Cover & Hold On: Limited Mobility

Pre-Dawn Quakes Near Population Center

Earth tremors were felt, pre-dawn, on February 15th in Salt Lake and Utah valleys.  While this is not unusual – quakes of this magnitude happen several times each year -- these tremors occurred along the Wasatch Fault, close to population centers.

Please, take these events as a prompt, a reminder to move forward on 96-hour emergency kit preparation for your family.  

Additionally, PLEASE, at your earliest opportunity, gather your family and practice DROP, COVER and HOLD-ON in each room of your home.  It is done this way:  DROP carefully to the floor, crawl to a desk or table and take COVER under it.  HOLD-ON to the desk/table to prevent it from shifting, leaving you exposed to falling debris.

Guidelines for Staying Put

Guidelines: Avoid Airborne Danger

Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it's simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside.

There may be circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "sealing the room," is a matter of survival.

Accept that Disasters can Affect YOU

In some cases, near instantly:

• Injuries, minor and severe
• Separation from loved ones
• Unprepared to evacuate by auto
• Unprepared to evacuate on foot
• Loss of utilities that are fundamental to our way of life.

Salt Lake City Public Elementary School Campuses for the S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods Catastrophic Disaster Response Program

Backman Elementary School
601 N 1500 W.  84116

Beacon Heights Elementary School
1850 S 2500 E.  84108

Bennion Elementary School 
5775 S Sierra Grande Dr.  84118

Bonneville Elementary School
1145 S 1900 E.  84108

Great Utah Shake-Out -- DROP, COVER, HOLD-ON and a Few Other Tricks

Image Attribution: http://www.earthquakecountry.org/step5/

Let’s get a jump on our annual Great Utah Shake-Out.  April is the time of year that Utah, and other states, living under the threat of a major earthquake, practice simple, life-saving response techniques, review and refresh emergency on-foot evacuation and auto kits as well as take an inventory of home preparations.

Here is a simple action that can save lives and reduce injuries; we refer to it as: Drop, Cover and Hold-On.